PIB Summary- 23th August, 2022 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

Why in News?
Raksha Mantri  is visiting Tashkent, Uzbekistan to attend the Annual Meeting of the Defence Ministers’ of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Member States.

What is the SCO? 

• Founded in June 2001, it was built on the ‘Shanghai Five’, the grouping which consisted of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
• They came together in the post-Soviet era in 1996, in order to work on regional security, reduction of border troops and terrorism.
• They endowed particular focus on ‘conflict resolution’, given its early success between China and Russia, and then within the Central Asian Republics.
• Some of their prominent outcomes in this arena entail an ‘Agreement on Confidence-Building in the Military Field Along the Border Areas’ (in 1996) between China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, which led to an agreement on the mutual reduction of military forces on their common borders in 1997.
• It would also pitch in to help the Central Asian countries resolve some of their boundary disputes. 
• In 2001, the ‘Shanghai Five’ inducted Uzbekistan into its fold and named it the SCO, outlining its principles in a charter that promoted what was called the “Shanghai spirit” of cooperation.
• The precise assertion, combined with some of the member states’ profiles, of building a “new international political and economic order” has often led to it being placed as a counter to treaties and groupings of the West, particularly North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).

Member states

• India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
• The SCO also has four observer states — Afghanistan, Iran, Belarus and Mongolia — of which Iran and Belarus are now moving towards full membership. 

Main goals

• Strengthening mutual trust and neighbourliness among the member states;
• Promoting their effective cooperation in politics, trade, economy, research and technology, and culture.

Focus areas

• Education, energy, transport, tourism and environmental protection.
• It also calls for joint efforts to maintain and ensure peace, security and stability in the region; and the establishment of a democratic, fair and rational new international political and economic order.

Organizational structure of SCO

• SCO Secretariat based in Beijing 
• Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) based in Tashkent.

Other than this, the grouping consists of Heads of State Council (HSC):

• It is the supreme decision-making body of the organisation.
• It meets annually to adopt decisions and guidelines on all important matters relevant to the organisation.

Heads of Government Council (HGC)

• The HGC (mainly including Prime Ministers) also meets annually to zero in on the organisation’s priority areas and multilateral cooperation strategy.
• It also endeavours to resolve present economic and cooperation issues alongside approving the organisation’s annual budget. 

Foreign Ministers Council

• The Foreign Ministers Council considers issues pertaining to the day-to-day activities of the organisation, charting HSC meetings and consultations on international problems within the organisation and if required, makes statements on behalf of the SCO.

Mithila Makhana

Why in News?
The government has recently awarded the Geographical Indication (GI) tag to Mithila Makhana.

About Mithila Makhana

• Mithila Makhana or Makhan (botanical name: Euryale ferox Salisb.) is a special variety of aquatic fox nut cultivated in Mithila region of Bihar and Nepal.
• Makhana is the one of the three prestigious cultural identities of Mithila.
• Pan, Makhan and Machh (fish) are the three prestigious cultural identity of Mithila.
• It is also very famous in Kojagara festival of Maithil Brahmins celebrated for newly married couples.
• Makhana contains protein and fiber, along with micronutrients like calcium, magnesium, iron, and phosphorus.

About GI Tag

• Geographical Indications of Goods are defined as that aspect of industrial property which refer to the geographical indication referring to a country or to a place situated therein as being the country or place of origin of that product.
• Typically, such a name conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness which is essentially attributable to the fact of its origin in that defined geographical locality, region or country.
• Geographical Indications are covered as a component of intellectual property rights (IPRs) under the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property.
• GI is also governed by the World Trade Organization’s (WTO’s) Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
• In India, Geographical Indications registration is administered by the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 which came into force with effect from September 2003, this tag is issued by the Geographical Indication Registry under the Department of Industry Promotion and Internal Trade (DIPIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• The first product in India to be accorded with GI tag was Darjeeling tea in the year 2004-05.
• The registration of a geographical indication is valid for a period of 10 years.
• It can be renewed from time to time for further period of 10 years each.
• The Geographical Indications Registry would be located at Chennai.
• Any association of persons, producers, organisation or authority established by or under the law can be a registered proprietor.
• Their name should be entered in the Register of Geographical Indication as registered proprietor for the Geographical Indication applied for.
• Karnataka has the highest number of GI tags i.e. 47 products followed by Tamil Nadu (39).